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Senior Research Faculty Policy

Senior Research Faculty Policy

The Senior Research Faculty includes all fixed–term, non-tenure-track faculty paid entirely or more than 50% from research grants or contracts (as defined in the Academic Appointment Guidelines; hr.oregonstate.edu/files/jobs/acadappt.pdf). Titles for these faculty are listed either as Professor (Senior Research) or Senior Research Professor; Associate Professor (Senior Research) or Research Associate Professor; and Assistant Professor (Senior Research) or Research Assistant Professor.

Appointment

Senior Research Faculty member's appointment must be associated with a member of the Microbiology tenure-track Faculty, who is in turn responsible for providing research space, or they must demonstrate that research space is provided in another unit.

Requests for appointment should be made to the Department Head. The appointment of a Senior Research Faculty member requires a two-thirds vote of the Microbiology voting faculty. Candidates for such appointments will be judged primarily upon achievement and potential in research, with standards being comparable to those used in selecting Tenure Track Faculty.

  1. Application will involve submission of a CV, 2-page descriptions of research plans, and presentation of a departmental seminar.
  2. One important criterion will be either having, or displaying the potential for providing their own support as Principal Investigator or Co-PI on a regular research grant or contract.

Senior Research Faculty members will be reviewed at least every three years by the department’s Promotion and Tenure Committee to evaluate for performance and promotion. If performance is not determined to be satisfactory, a vote will be taken from the voting faculty.

  1. A two-thirds “no” vote from instructors and tenure-track Microbiology Faculty, plus agreement from the associated member of the Academic Faculty under whom the Senior Research Faculty member works, will result in loss of Research Faculty status.
  2. A three-fourths “no” vote from the voting faculty will result in loss of Research Faculty status, regardless of the support status of the associated member of the Academic Faculty under whom the Senior Research Faculty member works.

Responsibilities and expectations

Senior Research Faculty are responsible for generating their own salary and research support from extra-departmental and extramural sources. They are invited to participate fully in the scientific life of the Department including service on relevant departmental committees, providing occasional lectures and attending faculty meetings. They may apply for graduate faculty status in order to participate in graduate student committees, training and teaching (Activities 1-3) through the process used for affiliate faculty. Direction of graduate student research (Activities 4,5) may be allowed in a co-advisory capacity. (Co-advisory status is flexible, but requires that a tenure-track faculty member has responsibility in the student’s graduate committee. Co-advisors act together to oversee the graduate studies of the student. At the discretion of the department head, co-advisory requirements may be waived.)

Learn more about graduate faculty activities at Oregon State University